It was a cooler, less humid morning. We checked the weather forecast and decided to move on while we could. The wind was already up and blowing, so we untied ourselves from the dock at 9:30 and headed north. We motored slowly at 10 mph up the ICW. Our destination today was Sarasota and an anchorage on the north side of Marina Jack’s. It was an uneventful trip, but there were LOTS of people on the water–boating, fishing, kayaking, paddleboarding, wade fishing, and jet skiing. It must be the start of the weekend. We did pass a palatial home that seems to be a little over-the-top. Wouldn’t you say? (Note the blue pagoda roof on the left near the water. That’s his too.)
We dropped anchor at 11:30 just past the Taj Mahal (as I like to call it) in downtown Sarasota.
We should be well-protected from the East wind tonight in this anchorage.
We settled in and took in all the sights of the city from the back of the boat. After lunch, we dinghied to shore and left the dinghy on the beach at O’Leary’s Tiki Bar and Grill where it would be secure for a nominal $2 fee.
We walked 3 or 4 blocks on Main St. into historic downtown Sarasota.
There were lots of shops and eateries along the way.
We turned onto Lemon St. to get to the Whole Foods Store. There we bought a few things that we needed. Everything there is organic and expensive. It was quite an eye opener.
On our walk back, we heard and finally saw the green “budgies” that fly around in flocks. We’ve seen these parrots at the Sarasota airport before, but they weren’t this big. I finally got a picture of them. Can you spot 3 of them in the tree?
We stopped at O’Leary’s for a beer and to listen to the live music under the tiki hut.
Then we headed back to the boat to drop off our groceries and get Auggie. He was ready for a walk in Island Park on the point across from Marina Jack’s. They have a new children’s area with a wading pool that was built since our last visit here. It looked very refreshing!
They also have some of the coolest Banyan trees growing in the center of the park.
Let’s not forget the well-known dolphin fountain on the point. People come here in the evening to watch the sunset.
After our walk in the park, we were all hot and ready for the ride back to the boat. Once we got back, we all tried to find a spot to get cool. Bob and I did some reading and Auggie took a snooze.
Eventually, Bob did too until dinner time. We grilled chicken for dinner and just enjoyed the evening….waiting for it to cool off. It was a very warm day and as usual the afternoon heat created some really interesting storm clouds off in the distance. Nothing too threatening…..in fact, a shower to cool things off would have been nice, but nothing developed. After the sun went down, we waited for the lights to come on in the city. Sarasota has a beautiful skyline at night and we enjoyed sitting out back once darkness fell.
